Story

Nine go on a jolly jaunt to Brighton….  Sounds like the title of an Enid Blyton novel but the truth is a whole, whole lot scarier…..   With Christmas come and gone leaving ever expanding waistlines in its wake thoughts turned to challenges new for the coming year. Now most of you will have driven down to Brighton, a few may well have cycled it but how many of you have considered walking it! After a flurry of emails we’ve assembled a team of nine hardy fools to tackle the London to Brighton Challenge - a 100km (63 mile) walk leaving Richmond Park on the morning of Saturday 12 May arriving in Brighton in time for breakfast the next morning! At an average walking pace of 3 miles an hour that leaves a grand total of 3 hours for food and rest breaks if we are to break the magic 24 hour mark.   So having done our bit to support the outdoor retail sector over the last few weeks it’s time to put on those new boots and start walking…. all 165,000 steps.   Whilst the stupidity of what we are attempting is slowly sinking in the blisters and aching limbs will surely fade after a few days / weeks. The individuals helped by our chosen charity, Walking With The Wounded, are not as fortunate.   The charity was started to raise awareness of those in the Armed Forces who have returned from service with serious injuries and disabilities.  The charity does this through by organising expeditions to some of most challenging places on earth demonstrating that our wounded service personnel are capable of leading fulfilling lives and contributing at the very highest level.   In doing so, they inspire others who are dealing with the challenges of life after service.   Walking With The Wounded supports charities that help injured servicemen and women, rebuild their lives – looking beyond immediate medical care and short-term rehabilitation to the challenges of reintegration and retraining, helping them on the long road to recovery and to leading a fulfilling life. Further details can be found at <a href="http://www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/">www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk</a>   Many of you will have seen the truly inspirational TV programme on the 2011 North Pole expedition, where the WWTW team, including 4 wounded soldiers, made a successful unsupported journey to the North Pole.  They covered the greatest distance of any polar expedition that season, man-hauling their sledges, containing all of their equipment and supplies, over 200 miles.   This year, after the success of the North Pole expedition, the team has set its sights even higher – to successfully summit Mount Everest and put a team of 4 wounded servicemen on top of the world. It is an undertaking of immense scale for able bodied individuals, let alone those wounded servicemen with severe injury and highlights the extraordinary determination and resilience of these individuals.   Any support you are able to give will be greatly appreciated. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.   Andy, John, Eamon, Paul, Robert, Chris, Tom, Mark and Steve